Pleasant Dreams
by Kristen3
Summary: Niles awakes in the middle of the night, suddenly feeling an overwhelming need to see Daphne. What he finds when he arrives at Frasier's is something he never expected.
1. Chapter 1

_Niles put his arm around Daphne, sighing as she leaned into his chest. He caught a whiff of the heavenly scent of her perfume. This moment could not be more perfect. He looked up at the beautiful night sky and found that even the stars above paled in comparison to Daphne's eyes. When she smiled up at him, Niles thought he was the happiest man alive_.

Niles awoke with a start. The blissful moment from his dream did not last. Instead, he found himself feeling a strange sense of fear. Perhaps, like Daphne, he had a sixth sense. All of a sudden, he felt the need to get over to Frasier's as quickly as possible. Without really knowing why, he began to put his suit back on. He raced down the stairs and to his car. He drove through the streets of Seattle at a speed he would never attempt during the day.

Because it was the middle of the night, and most of Elliot Bay Towers' residents were asleep, Niles had little trouble riding up nineteen floors in the elevator. Heart pounding, he took out his emergency key to his brother's apartment. He had no idea how he would ever explain his presence at this ungodly hour, but that was the least of his worries right now.

When the door opened, Niles was astonished to find his brother sitting on the couch, holding hands with Daphne, who seemed to be in tears.

"Niles, what the hell are you doing here?!" Frasier asked, his eyes blinded by the light from the hallway.

"I-I woke up, and I had a strange feeling that I needed to come over here right away. What are _you_ doing up?"

"I got up to go to the bathroom, and I found Daphne sitting here all alone in the dark, crying. I've been trying to get her to tell me what's wrong, but she won't stop sobbing," Frasier answered.

Niles nodded at his brother. "Go back to bed. I'll take care of this."

Frasier eyed his younger brother warily, then sighed. He did need to be at the station early tomorrow morning. "Goodnight, Daphne. Night, Niles." Without another word, Frasier walked back to his room.

No sooner had Frasier left than Niles took his place next to Daphne. He immediately put his arms around her, handing her a handkerchief to wipe her eyes. "Oh, Daphne, what's upsetting you?" he asked softly. "I'll help you if I can, but you need to tell me what's wrong."

Daphne took a few deep breaths in hopes of calming herself. After a few moments, she began to feel a bit more in control. "I had a nightmare. A horrible man was chasing after me. I ran as fast as I could, but he still caught up to me. I woke up just as he was about to grab me!"

Without even thinking of it, Niles reached over and gently kissed Daphne's hair. No wonder she'd been so frightened! "It's all right, Daphne. You're safe now." He hoped his voice would help calm her. The idea of her ever being afraid or in danger broke Niles' heart.

"I came out here, thinking I could watch television to take me mind of the nightmare. But what do I see when I turn on the TV? A bloody horror movie! That's when your brother came out here and found me."

Niles pulled her even closer. He wanted nothing more than to allow Daphne to feel safe and protected. After all, this was her home. She had a right to feel secure here.

"Oh, Dr. Crane, I want to go back to sleep, but what if I have that dream again?"

"You can sleep right where you are. Then, if you get frightened, at least you won't be alone. I promise you, no one's going to hurt you tonight."

Daphne sighed. She did feel much calmer now that Dr. Crane was here. And she was awfully tired. She rested her head on his chest, where she could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Soon, she'd drifted off. She slipped into a happy, dreamless sleep for the rest of the night.


	2. Chapter 2

When Daphne awoke the next morning, it took a moment to remember why she was on the couch instead of her bedroom. But when she looked up and saw Dr. Crane still asleep next to her, she remembered the events of the previous night. The awful nightmare she'd had now seemed like a lifetime ago. She was grateful for whatever force had brought him here. His presence had obviously allowed her to finally feel safe enough to get some sleep. As quietly as she could, Daphne got up and walked over to the kitchen. Within minutes, she began her morning chore of preparing the family's breakfast. She poured a bowl of cereal for Mr. Crane, knowing he would complain about it as usual. Then she got Dr. Crane's roll and coffee ready. And last, she prepared pancakes for the younger Dr. Crane.

Niles stirred his sleep. He began to smell a heavenly aroma coming from the kitchen. He woke up, confused by his surroundings. But the scent drew him toward the kitchen, where he was surprised to find Daphne hard at work setting the table.

"Morning, Dr. Crane!" Daphne said with a smile. "I can't thank you enough for what you did last night. But the least I could do was make sure you had a good breakfast!"

Niles looked at the large stack of pancakes Daphne had made. The mere sight made him hungry. "Daphne, as much as I appreciate your hard work, it's completely unnecessary. I'm just glad I was able to help you!"

Daphne pulled him into a tight hug. "I'm so lucky to have a friend like you!"

Niles enjoyed the feeling of her arms around him. But he could not ignore the sadness he felt at being called a friend. To him, Daphne was much more than a friend. She was the one thing that made him feel like he could one day be happy, instead of feeling miserable and lonely. But as Daphne continued to smile at him, a thought occurred to him. Perhaps that happy future wasn't as far away as he thought. His heart pounded as he searched for the right words. "Daphne...before I came over here last night, I also had a dream. But it wasn't a nightmare."

Daphne smiled. She was glad someone had had a pleasant dream last night "What was it?"

"Well, I was standing out under the stars. It was a beautiful night. And right there beside me was...you. As beautiful as those stars were, they couldn't compare to you."

Daphne gasped. Was he really calling her beautiful? She blushed at the unexpected compliment. "Well, I'm very flattered, Dr. Crane. Was that why you wanted to come over here?" she asked with a nervous laugh.

"No. I woke up from that dream, and all of a sudden, I felt like I had to see you. I didn't know why, but I kept thinking you were in danger. So I raced over here as fast as I could. I guess my instincts were right."

Daphne could hardly believe what she was hearing. He'd come all the way over here in the middle of the night because of a feeling? She understood that sometimes things couldn't be explained rationally. Her visions had taught her that. But Dr. Crane was such a logical person, not someone she would've ever expected to do something so irrational. But then she realized, if he hadn't shown up when he did, she might never have gotten back to sleep. He was the only person capable of calming her down while she was in such a state of fear. She began to realize that he must care a great deal about her in order to do what he'd done. The thought touched her deeply. She pulled him close, holding him like that for a long moment. "Thank you," she said simply. She kissed him once on the lips. It was a gentle kiss, one which did not necessarily imply anything beyond friendship. But when her heart skipped a beat, she kissed him several more times. The kisses gradually became longer and longer. Soon all thoughts of breakfast left Daphne's mind. It was as if the two of them were in a world all their own.

When Daphne came up for air, Niles was almost afraid to speak for fear of ruining the magic of the moment. "Daphne," he said quietly. "Would you do me the honor of spending the day with me? It really isn't important what we do. I just want to spend as much time with you as possible."

Daphne smiled. "Yes. I'd like that." She kissed him quickly once more. "I don't think I'll be having any more nightmares," she said with a smile.

**The End**


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